PASURUAN (September 26, 2019) – The Ministry of Social Affairs of Republic of Indonesia held a Disaster Preparedness Cadets Jamboree and National Social Service on 25-29 September 2019 in East Java.

“Disaster Preparedness Cadets Jamboree and Social Service 2019 is a moment for Disaster Preparedness Cadets personnel to improve competence and capacity in handling the disaster. This activity has become a vessel for disaster volunteer in Indonesia and ASEAN to meet and sharing their experience and learning process together from every disaster characteristic and culture,” said the Minister of Social Affairs Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita in Pasuruan, East Java, Thursday.

Minister of Social Affairs said that most area of Indonesian is disaster-prone. Learning from every natural disaster that happened such as tsunami, earth quake, active volcano, flash flood and etc.  The Ministry of Social Affairs keeps strengthen public-based disaster mitigation through Disaster Preparedness Cadets and Disaster Preparedness Village.

The jamboree takes places in three points, which is in Surabaya, Pasuruan, and Probolinggo, East Java Province. For Surabaya it takes place in Gedung Negara Grahadi. In Pasuruan it holds on two place which is Graha Candra Wilwatika and Danau Ranu Grati. Meanwhile in Probolonggo it held on Lautan Pasir Taman Nasional Gunung Bromo.

Jamboree was attended by 2.750 cadets from Indonesia, ASEAN representatives from Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Myanmar. Also present the representatives from local NGO, International NGO, representative from Disaster Preparedness Village, Social Pillars, and the other disaster volunteers.

The theme which brought into the Jamboree is “Disaster Preparedness Cadets Protect the Nature”. Through this theme, cadets persuade the public to improve public preparedness in Disaster-prone area. One of them is protect the nature starts from the easiest thing to do in the environment.

“East Java’s Disaster Preparedness Cadets has started to protect the nature by sowing hard tree seeds to shared to the people in 38 cities in East Java,” said the Social Affairs Minister Agus.

The Minister of Social Affairs mentioned that each one Disaster Preparedness Cadets sows 100 seeds. Meanwhile the total number of East Java’s Disaster Preparedness Cadets is 1600 personnel so that as much as 160 thousand tree seeds has been gathered. The people can get it for free by bringing five until ten used plastic bottles to be changed with tree seed.

“By promoting the movement of planting tree, we also helping to reduce the global warning impact, increasing the oxygen source on earth, preventing floods, and also preventing erosion. By planting tree, we had done one of disaster mitigation attempt,” said the Social Affairs Minister.

The Minister Agus said that like in UU NO. 24 2007 Chapter I Section 1 Number 9, mitigation is a sequence of attempt to reduce the risk of disaster, either on physical development or awareness and improvement of skill facing the disaster thread.

“The commitment to protect nature as part of disaster mitigation have to be supported and the government providing as much space as they can for Disaster Preparedness Cadets and the people to innovate and be creative in protecting the nature, keep the earth sustainable,” he said.

To be known, 2019 Disaster Preparedness Cadets Jamboree and Social Service was opened by Director General of Social Protection and Security Harry Hikmat together with the Governor of East Java Khofifah Indar Parawansa on Wednesday night, 25 September in Gedung Grahadi, Surabaya.

The governor Khofifah in her greetings persuade all of East Java’s people to succeeding the Disaster Preparedness Cadets Jamboree and National Tagana Social Service.

"Disaster Preparedness Cadets Jamboree and National Tagana Social Service is a moment for us to strengthen our commitment to protect the nature and also an opportunity for humanitarian volunteer to exchange their thought on disaster management in the future time,” she said.

The Jamboree is filled with preparedness competency test to face the disaster through post contest and quick response team, public kitchen contest and logistic, psychosocial support service contest, shelter contest, water rescue contest, and emergency first aid contest. This activity takes place on Thursday, 26 September, in Graha Candra Wilwatika, Pandaan District, Pasuruan.

Beside Competency test, also held the Idea Sharing Session activity (ISS) where the Disaster Preparedness Cadets together with disaster volunteer and ASEAN representatives sharing and exchange their experience on handling the disaster. The theme which brought up this time is “Shelter and Mitigation-Preparedness”.

Presented in ISS the representatives from the Ministry of Sport and Youth of Brunei Darussalam, the Ministry of Home Affairs of Brunei Darussalam; Imam Response and Relief Team from Malaysia; National Board for Disaster Management of Malaysia; the Ministry of Social Welfare, Social Assistance and Housing of Myanmar.

The Social Service activity is being held on Panti Sosial Tresna Werdha Pasuruan and disaster education through Disaster Preparedness Cadets entering every school in East Java. This activity held on Friday, 27 September followed by Jamboree participants.

The peak of 2019 Disaster Preparedness Cadets Jamboree and Social Service held on Saturday, 28 September in Lautan Pasir Taman Nasional Gunung Bromo which is Disaster Alert ceremony and the Launching of Alert Area (KSB) Mt. Bromo.

“KSB in Mt. Bromo Area is very important because this area is one of the disaster-prone areas. Public is the first party for face to face against the disaster thread. Thus, the public preparedness is very important to suppress the disaster impact around the people,” said the Minister of Social Affairs.


Acting Head of Public Relations Bureau of Ministry of Social Affairs

Sonny W. Manalu